#Rogues of the Lost Ark Notes Part Six

[thenewleeland]

RotLA: Chapter Six - Author’s Notes

Trivia, translations, explanations and more for Chapter Six of “Rogues of the Lost Ark”!

Major Arnold Ernst Toht is never named in the movie, only in the credits. Played by the late Ronald Lacey, he’s just a perfect villain’s henchman. Therefore, he remains the same. Toht is a member of the GeStaPo (Geheime Staatspolizei = Secret State Policy), the secret police the Nazi’s established. Administered by the Schutzstaffel (SS), she was mainly used to subjugate political enemies.

Toht’s team is never really identified in either movie or novel, but the German accompanying is named Otto in the Raiders of the Lost Ark Sourcebook. The rest of the crooks have no names, but of course I gave them some. Rajendra (the ratty Nepalese who gets shot by Cassian), Prakash (the Giant Sherpa) and Turbat (the mean Mongolian). They’re all named after soccer players representing Nepal and Mongolia internationally.

Despite not being in the chapter, Krennić still manages to sour Cassian’s life.

In case there are still questions, here’s the full Jyn and Cassian backstory (for me, it’s kinda understandable, but that’s just because it’s all in my head :D): Cassian studied under Galen at Bedford and Galen was very fond of him. Cassian and Jyn dated for several years until Cassian made his doctorate. Both had planned to marry, but when Cassian was meant to ask for Galen’s permission, he panicked. Why? Low self esteem because of his heritage and even more so, the fear that Galen might say no and Cassian wouldn’t only lose Jyn, but also the life he had built for himself. So Cassian panicked and ran away to Mexico to find himself. Not the best move, yes, but well… Jyn was of course shocked, saddened and angry as hell, but she did not want to leave and miss the chance of punishing him when he came back (before forgiving him). But then, Krennić arrived, tried to force Galen to work with him and promised to return. Fearing for Jyn, he decided to leave the country immediately and not even tell his friends so that they would be safe. Jyn joined him, as she couldn’t leave her father behind and Cassian had disappointed her. Just a few hours after they had left, Marcus arrived at the Erso house, finding it ransacked by Krennic’s goons. Fearing the worst, he sat down on the front porch and drank for the first time since his wife had died. That’s where Cassian found him, finally returning from Mexico and desperate to make amends. Galen hoped to hide in Nepal from Krennic, but as we found out, it didn’t work. Jyn always wanted to come back, but after her father died, they didn’t have the money. Cassian thought them leaving without a trace meant that he had lost them forever. Since then, he’d been in an eternal fight to leave everything to search for them and leave them alone before inflicting more pain on them.

In case Cassian and Jyn seem OOC. Well. They are. They are a mix of Cassian/Indiana and Jyn/Marion. Their relationship is entirely different to the very dubious one Indiana and Marion had. Both genuinely loved each other. And while every version of Jyn is tough as nails, in this AU, the death of her mother had a greater impact and she wasn’t raised by Saw. She’s a fighter, but not the kind of survivalist her canon counterpart is. Same goes for Cassian. He is younger and has a completely different background. The Jyn/Cassian relationship is way deeper than the one in the Raiders movie. And although the past has caused them pain, they are way more willing to find a solution. It’s kinda cheap letting them talk off-screen, but well, I’m not so good at writing such stuff (and a lot else). Based on the facts mentioned above, it should be easier to fall back to the relationship they once had. Jyn understands Cassian’s fears that made him run and he knows why she left too. Also, these versions of them are less familiar with mortal danger (especially Jyn), so the fight in the bar had some impact on them. Indy and Marion are quite amicably when they are in Egypt, which I always found rather unlikely considering their relationship. So, the bottom line is: They’ve talked about why things transpired as they did and decided to continue where they had left it. They will be cautious at first, but I mean look at them. They can’t stay mad at each other for long. :)

[imsfire2]

Some more rebelcaptain fic recs

I did this once before and thought it was about time I did another.  This is just a selection of the top-notch fic this ship has given rise to in the last couple of months.  I’m putting notes and summaries below a read-more as the list on its own turned out quite long.

Hearts of kyber by rcmsw http://archiveofourown.org/works/10552890/chapters/23308910

As the fates unwind by Jaxin http://archiveofourown.org/works/9642863/chapters/21784796

Baby, you need to come home by aewgliriel http://archiveofourown.org/works/10988304/chapters/24471792

Over the edge by jplus http://archiveofourown.org/works/11047776/chapters/24628950

Inevitable by cellorocket http://archiveofourown.org/works/8945566/chapters/21612137

Death in the time of the Empire by Deputychairman http://archiveofourown.org/works/9023386

Die with your darlings by thelovelies http://archiveofourown.org/works/11128509

Been to the mountaintop by biclaras http://archiveofourown.org/works/8892652

To ashes and stardust by wandering_scavenger http://archiveofourown.org/works/8862787

We don’t know everything by Disneybrony http://archiveofourown.org/works/11018907

Happy endings (are just stories that haven’t finished yet) by guineapiggie http://archiveofourown.org/series/650546

A pile of bones by Not_So_Secretly_A_Spaceship and Wolf_Storm http://archiveofourown.org/series/647381

This is a rebellion, isn’t it? By aMassiveDisappointment (BadOldWest) http://archiveofourown.org/works/11041638/chapters/24613062

Back to the night by AlexOblivion http://archiveofourown.org/works/11095485

Kill the lights (and kiss my eyes) by ohstardustgirl http://archiveofourown.org/works/11055027

Truth spoke in whispers (will tear you apart) by guineapiggie http://archiveofourown.org/works/11014866

You can’t hide (your lyin’ eyes) by NewLeeland http://archiveofourown.org/works/11057235

Cassian Andor’s guide to cohabitation by brahe http://archiveofourown.org/series/609082

Priorities by RapidashPatronus http://archiveofourown.org/works/10974750

After by scoundrelhan http://archiveofourown.org/works/9046658

Lullaby by Tigersmeleth http://archiveofourown.org/works/10021151/chapters/22337249

It’s only ever been by NeonDaisies http://archiveofourown.org/works/9637268/chapters/21770894

The art in the lie by Jaded http://archiveofourown.org/works/11143644/chapters/24860889

The remembrance of pain (time will explain) also by Jaded http://archiveofourown.org/works/9984434/chapters/22302065

The soul magicians by porcelainsimplicity http://archiveofourown.org/works/10914591/chapters/24270999

For a good time call by Jormaperalta http://archiveofourown.org/works/10530072/chapters/23247126

Anything can happen by stargirl428 http://archiveofourown.org/works/10572375/chapters/23360664

Killer Queen by ohmytheon http://archiveofourown.org/works/10892349?view_full_work=true

Heaven’s not far away (and I’m not going to leave you here) by Irelando http://archiveofourown.org/works/10859979/chapters/24118608

Rogues of the lost Ark by NewLeeland http://archiveofourown.org/works/10947519/chapters/24362628

Floating, sinking by shuofthewind http://archiveofourown.org/works/9053302/chapters/20596522

Resistance is built on hope by ChronicOlicity http://archiveofourown.org/works/9079141/chapters/20644807

Completed chapter fics, regular Rogue One setting, fix-it theme

Hearts of kyber by rcmsw http://archiveofourown.org/works/10552890/chapters/23308910

Just completed; a post-Scarif they-survive story with a lot of angst on the way but a happy ending at last. The character writing is simply beautiful and there are some really heart-stopping moments of emotion in this excellent mid-length chapter fic.

As the fates unwind by Jaxin http://archiveofourown.org/works/9642863/chapters/21784796

A completed mid-length chapter fic that goes right back to the beginning of the film narrative and posits an interesting (and all-too-rare) what-if; what if Lyra had not died on Lah’mu but survived and joined the partisans with her young daughter?  Lyra is beautifully written, a real lioness of a mother, and the alternative plot is excellent.  

WIP chapter fics, regular Rogue One setting, fix-it theme

Baby, you need to come home by aewgliriel http://archiveofourown.org/works/10988304/chapters/24471792

Exciting and emotional, a post-Scarif they-survive story with Jyn having a daughter after a one-night stand six years earlier with an incognito Cassian.  WIP.

Over the edge by jplus http://archiveofourown.org/works/11047776/chapters/24628950

This is terrific!  Jyn and Cassian survive mysteriously.  The world-building is fantastic and there’s a great alien race with a culture and social rules of their own; bonus points for a wonderful Bodhi characterisation, a cracking opening and a sympathetic treatment of Draven. WIP.

Inevitable by cellorocket http://archiveofourown.org/works/8945566/chapters/21612137

A good solid post-Scarif they-survive fic with one of the best re-writes of the battle to destroy the Death Star I’ve come across, featuring Bodhi piloting an X-wing and a terrific rolling tension maintained right through a long scene.  In fact it’s such a good piece of writing that my link above is to that specific chapter.  It’s absolutely gripping.  WIP.

Now: You want angst?  This ship does angst.  Boy does it do angst.

Death in the time of the Empire by Deputychairman http://archiveofourown.org/works/9023386

One-shot; canon compliant and pretty angsty character study for Cassian; heart-breaking imagined backstory and buckets of feels.

Die with your darlings by thelovelies http://archiveofourown.org/works/11128509

Canon-compliant one-shot, Cassian’s POV, horribly sad.

Been to the mountaintop by biclaras http://archiveofourown.org/works/8892652

Oh shit.  Short and sweet, and heart-breaking.

To ashes and stardust by wandering_scavenger http://archiveofourown.org/works/8862787

Ow ow ow.  Canon-compliant one-shot, Jyn’s POV; realisation coming too late.  A weepy.

We don’t know everything by Disneybrony http://archiveofourown.org/works/11018907

Jyn and Cassian are seriously injured (by the looks of it fatally) and Bodhi tries to help their young son.  A sad, dark, painful read.

Happy endings (are just stories that haven’t finished yet) by guineapiggie http://archiveofourown.org/series/650546

A series of one-shots and a chapter fic; the latter is still a WIP.  A painfully angsty modern dress AU, this deals with addiction among other things and is pretty hard-hitting on that subject, with all the unintentional emotional cruelty and anguished heart-break you’d expect.  I think the chapter fic part is heading towards a moderately happy resolution but wouldn’t like to swear to it. Beautifully written.

A pile of bones by Not_So_Secretly_A_Spaceship and Wolf_Storm http://archiveofourown.org/series/647381

A series of chapter fics and one-shots, some of them pretty hard-hitting (lot of medical detail including operations and PTSD by the bucketload, so NB do not read if you can’t handle descriptions of gore).  Post-Scarif they-survive stories, plus some background stories; drama and tension, great OCs and bonus points for a really likeable characterisation of Draven.  

You want smut?  This ship does smut.  Oh yeah.

This is a rebellion, isn’t it? By aMassiveDisappointment (BadOldWest) http://archiveofourown.org/works/11041638/chapters/24613062

This is a collection of drabbles and one-shots, some in-canon and some AU.  And some of it is very smutty indeed, gloriously, unashamedly so.

Back to the night by AlexOblivion http://archiveofourown.org/works/11095485

Smutty and romantic with plenty of feels as well.  Always a good mixture.

Kill the lights (and kiss my eyes) by ohstardustgirl http://archiveofourown.org/works/11055027

Really gorgeous bit of porn-with-plot and feels galore.

You want more feels?  We got feels, people, we got so many feels; feels and fluff too…

Truth spoke in whispers (will tear you apart) by guineapiggie http://archiveofourown.org/works/11014866

And its companion piece

You can’t hide (your lyin’ eyes) by NewLeeland http://archiveofourown.org/works/11057235

Paired modern-dress one-shots to give you a lump in the throat; bittersweet and emotional, all the feels.

Cassian Andor’s guide to cohabitation by brahe http://archiveofourown.org/series/609082

Two paired one-shots that give us bed-sharing, hurt/comfort, the First Kiss and so much emotion…

Priorities by RapidashPatronus http://archiveofourown.org/works/10974750

Baby fics are not usually my thing - they can so easily be horribly out of character, not to mention hyper-fluffy and unrealistic (given the realities of childbirth and life with babies) but this one is great; messy (there’s vomiting) and credible, and very touching.

After by scoundrelhan http://archiveofourown.org/works/9046658

A fix-it one shot of Jyn trying to come to terms with her feelings about staying in the rebellion, and about Cassian.  Emotionally truthful and true to character.  Quietly implies that both of them have mild PTSD but they are doing their best to deal with it (no graphic descriptions though).  Heartfelt and packed with feels.

Soulmates?  We can do soulmates.

Lullaby by Tigersmeleth http://archiveofourown.org/works/10021151/chapters/22337249

A really haunting soulmates chapter fic where child Jyn and child Cassian meet in their dreams and try to support one another through what are still very difficult childhoods. WIP.

It’s only ever been by NeonDaisies http://archiveofourown.org/works/9637268/chapters/21770894

Another soulmates chapter fic, this one using the trope that you can communicate with your soulmate by writing on your arm.  The world-building is superb in this and it is tremendously angsty; really emotional stuff. WIP.

AUs – yep, we have those aplenty, too.  

I’ve tended to be baffled by a lot of AUs in the past – I just don’t get why you’d want to, a lot of the time.  So often in AU territory what we have is people with the same names as our heroes but wildly OOC; not my cup of tea at all.  But such is the quality of the Rogue One fandom writers that we are getting some absolute crackers.

The art in the lie by Jaded http://archiveofourown.org/works/11143644/chapters/24860889

This is being expanded from a series of headcanon drabbles on tumblr, and it’s looking really good so far. Modern-dress AU in which Jyn and Cassian are film actors obliged to undertake a fake relationship as part of their contract when they get the chance to work with reclusive Kubrick-like director Davits Draven…  Lots of feels and some very nice carrying-over of the characters.  WIP.

By the same author: The remembrance of pain (time will explain) http://archiveofourown.org/works/9984434/chapters/22302065

Something I would not have expected to work, but it does.  And then some.  Rogue One mashed up with Jane Austen.  Persuasion, to be precise. Yes, honestly, take my word for it. Packed with feels.  WIP.  And yes, I know this is the third thing I’ve recommended by this writer; but Jaded is good.

The soul magicians by porcelainsimplicity http://archiveofourown.org/works/10914591/chapters/24270999

A “Cassian is a pop star and Jyn is a girl he falls for” AU set in a universe with a twist; heterosexuality is illegal, and they are straight.  Perhaps rather more tangential to the Star Wars themes than usual but I have to recommend this as it’s such a gorgeous romance, making beautiful use of that classic trope, forbidden love.  WIP.

For a good time call by Jormaperalta http://archiveofourown.org/works/10530072/chapters/23247126

The modern-dress AU I would never have expected to like.  Seriously, I’ve never bothered to read anything tagged “college AU” and I would have said “and I never will” until I started reading this one rainy Sunday. Like “The soul magicians” the plot is completely tangential to the Star Wars plotlines; but it’s sweet, romantic and very, very funny, and has a delightful human K-2SO.  Like a perfect Saturday night sappy rom-com.  WIP (but I think the author is getting near to the end).

Anything can happen by stargirl428 http://archiveofourown.org/works/10572375/chapters/23360664

Another modern-dress rom-com AU I would not have expected to like but am thoroughly enjoying; holiday house-swap with a bit of coffee shop thrown in.  Utterly sweet and fluffy.  But be warned, Jyn’s ex is Krennic in this, which is a bit yucky.  WIP.

Killer Queen by ohmytheon http://archiveofourown.org/works/10892349?view_full_work=true

Another modern-dress AU that has grabbed me unexpectedly; believe it or not, this one is Rogue One plus Miss Congeniality.  It’s sweet and very funny.  WIP

Heaven’s not far away (and I’m not going to leave you here) by Irelando http://archiveofourown.org/works/10859979/chapters/24118608

Another cross-over AU that works quite brilliantly.  Rogue One/Pacific Rim mash-up.  Jyn is the Raleigh Beckett character, Cassian is Mako Mori, Draven is Pentecost.  The POV starts off with Jyn and is about to move to Cassian; both their voices are tremendously well captured.  Irelando writes very economically and has a knack for the single perfect word to convey a ton of feeling by the most minimal of means. WIP.  (I must confess to a bias here as I have the privilege of beta-ing this lovely piece of work).  

Rogues of the lost Ark by NewLeeland http://archiveofourown.org/works/10947519/chapters/24362628

This is looking really good so far!  As you can probably guess from the title, it’s a Rogue One/Raiders of the Lost Ark mash-up. The fusion works really well, Cassian makes an excellent Indiana Jones and the whole thing is set fair to be thoroughly exciting.  WIP.

And finally, repeat recommendations for two of the best bits of fanfic I’ve ever read:

Floating, sinking by shuofthewind http://archiveofourown.org/works/9053302/chapters/20596522

Cracking good, v long chapter fic that takes our Rogue One team on into the events of A New Hope. Complex skilful plotting and high drama, and lots of gut-wrenching emotions.  WIP (but very nearly finished by the looks of it).

And

Resistance is built on hope by chronicolicity http://archiveofourown.org/works/9079141/chapters/20644807

Best WW2 AU ever and possibly the best human Kay as well.  Brilliantly characterised with a beautiful period setting; completely gripping and moving. WIP.

[zippdementia]

Part 68 Alignment May Vary: City of Ghosts

Situation: Roger Krisp leads the Hell’s Rebels from aboard his mighty airship, The Ark, which he has parked over the ruined cityscape of Maladomini, one of the Nine Cities of Hell which was destroyed during Hell’s previous election cycle when civil war broke out (Imoaza doesn’t like the cold and curls up around the ship’s walls, which are heated). His plan, which he and his council of five tell the players over a feast, is to find a way off of Hell and to take his rebels with him. Ultimately, they want to find a way back to their home world of Faerun. While the player’s sleep and clean themselves (and Aldric gets a little dirty with a trio of Goblin women), Krisp sends a team out to find the players’ crashed spaceship. He discovers it is repairable, but that it cannot fly without being repowered. The only thing that can repower it are Crystals. Alyss has mentioned these as being responsible for ushering souls to Hell, and we know the Surveyor used them to pepper worlds with life. We know the Jade Statue was one, and contained some of the power of a Dark One, a Star Spawn from beyond the Void. Turns out Mammon has a ton of him in his Trump-esque tower of Minauros. The Rebels have been trying to get the crystals for years, because they are the only thing that can power a ship enough to leave Hell’s atmosphere. To break into the vault, Alyss devised a plan. There is a Demon who can help them, but it needs to be freed from its Archdevil master first, an ancient devil known as The Yellow King. Alyss learned the Demon’s true name and was bartering with a devil named Puck in order to gain an item that can free the Demon. Alyss intended to use the Demon as a distraction to let her and the rebels break into Mammon’s vault. Now the players have to take her place and meet her contact, Puck, in the City of Ghosts.

Twist: Just as Krisp finishes speaking, the whole airship shakes and the alarm is called. “Under attack?” Krisp asks incredulously. “Out here in this wasteland? Nothing comes here, though I have been saying this place is RIPE for a water theme park.” It turns out the devils are very intent on catching the players and have tracked them to Maladomini. White Dragons ridden by Ice Devils swarm the airship and the crew mans guns and other futuristic weapons to take them down.

Combat: The players fight an Ice Devil on board the deck of the airship, while attacks from the Ice Dragons occasionally interrupt combat in spectacular ways, keeping the players on their toes. It is an interesting combat, where the Ice Devil casts ice walls around the players to try and block them off to fight one at a time. Everyone holds their own, perhaps none so much as Carrick, who uses his anti-matter rifle to turn the tide of combat, blasting away a good chunk of the Ice Devil’s health, and who then survives being encased in an icy Iron Maiden of the Devil’s Construction. Aldric finally forcibly bursts through one of the ice walls to engage the Devil in melee. As he stabs through the Ice Devil’s heart, Aldric discovers a hidden power of Mist Reaver, the sword belonging to his old company, that lets it suck up elemental energy and reproduce it, turning his blade into a chill weapon. The Dragons are driven off, and combat is successful!

Notes: 

The Council of Six is made up of a new character, Star the Tiefling, and four of the adventurers who were in the Tomb of Horrors campaign I ran several years ago and also journaled: Tinia the fat elven Cleric, Geth the gothic rogue, Ikbaldi the huge boistrious barbarian, and Otto the Warlock (Chad the Bard was already dead, so his soul didn’t go to Hell with the rest of the party). Also, technically Ikbaldi’s soul was trapped by Acererak, but cannon would state that Ikbaldi later escaped this prison, though was killed soon after in his weakened state). The council helps during the dragon battle, running all over and displaying their various, impressive level 15 abilities.

When the players try to sleep, Aldric pairs up with three goblin wenches and they have loud loud loud sex in the room next to Imoaza (edit: the player informs me that one of the goblins, at least one, was definitely male. I didn’t look close enough at that tangle of limbs to verify, so we’ll take his word for it). Her meditations deeply disturbed by Aldric’s antics, Imoaza goes to find Carrick’s room in another part of the ship and the two bond a little bit simply by enjoying each other’s relative silence. Carrick himself is ruminating on what Roger Krisp told him about the Surveyor, because it turns out Roger Krisp knows that legend.

The Surveyor, Krisp tells the party, is an ancient being who once traveled the stars, spreading life to other planets. It’s unknown whether there is one Surveyor or many, but he was said to be immortal. His motivations were unclear and he seemed to be nomadic in nature, never staying in any one place and never returning to it after his initial visits and experiments with the crystals. He had no equal in technological prowess and his research seemed especially focused on using souls to power things or to reconstruct life. The Crystals are conduits for channeling souls into energy. No one knows what happened to him (except the players now do).

Roger Krisp asks the players advice on a new catchphrase. He’s developed a sugary cereal, see, Krispy Krisps, or Captain Krisps, which funds the Hell’s Rebels operation (”Sales this quarter are surprisingly good, ever since we added buttloads of sugar!”)and he thinks the whole Hell’s Rebels organization needs a cool branding phrase to not only go along with the cereal but to usher them into adventure! Something they will call out before each mission. Some contenders are, “Get Krispy with it!” or “It’s Krisp Time!” or “Krispy does it!” or “Krispy is as Krispy does!” They settle on “Let’s Get Krispy” and head off for the City of Ghosts, where the devil Puck resides.

Situation: The players have to sneak into the accursed City of Ghosts, the place where creatures who have lost their last bit of soul end up wandering, cast away shells of their former selves. They have to find Puck here, while avoiding getting lost in the city’s perpetual fog (straying into the fog, they are warned, will slowly drain them of their powers and souls). Trolls who have completely infested the city are also on the prowl for fresh meat and soul power draws them like a beacon. The players are going to have to be quick. To help them, they are offered Jacobs as a guide, as he survived on his own in the City of Ghosts for nearly a week, longer than any other person has done... at least, and emerged with their soul intact. He tells them they are looking for Viam Autem Dominin Reprobi, which is ancient common for “The Path of Fallen Lords.”

Twist: Technology will draw the attention of all the Trolls in the city, so Jacobs, a dark skinned warrior who died on Faerun long long ago before the Time of Troubles, takes his flying car and parks it on the outskirts, then shows the players the entrance to a sewer which they can use to get inside the city unnoticed. Only, as they traverse the sewers, they encounter a Hydroloth, from Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. It eats Jacobs memories and leaves him a confused, speechless, husk who aimlessly follows Carrick. The party gets into an intense fight with the Hydroloth on its home turf. The best part of the fight is when the Hydroloth charms Aldric and Imoaza tries to break the charm by ALSO charming Aldric.... which is a super bad ass idea even though she fails her battle of wills. The battle over Aldric’s mind ultimately ends in a victory for the Hydroloth and poor Aldric experiences the mother of all migraines as his brain is turned into a battlefield. Despite this, the limitations of Crown of Madness (which the Hydroloth cast on Aldric) catch me off guard: it is a reaaally limited spell, limited to forcing a creature to make melee attack against a creature within reach at the beginning of their turn before moving. That sucks unless the players are grouped up and too stupid to not stay bunched up after they see a mother-fuckin’ crown of GODDAMNED THORNS appear around the head of their heaviest hitter (”Get the hell away from that guy!”) At first I thought the spell had useage at least as a “retain your own personal bodyguard” spell, holding the party’s big hitter in reserve until he could break the enchantment, and threatening anyone who gets close, but no--the madness doesn’t function if the target isn’t forced to attack someone on their turn. Seriously, what is this bullshit? I’m sure I’ve played this wrong in the past just because this makes no sense. Alright, end rant. Short story is, the players do manage to defeat the Hyrdoloth, though it ends in quite a freaky way, as the beast dives into deeper water and then uses illusions via phantasmal force to make Aldric think it has morphed into a huge tentacled creature. Carrick eventually finds it in the water and defeats it. But Jacobs’ memory does not return.

The Debate: A furious debate rages over whether they should leave Jacobs or not. Aldric feels he should be left behind, as he will be a burden. Imoaza thinks that they should take him... to use him as bait for monsters in the city. Carrick feels they should kill him and put the dude out of his misery... or use him as bait. This is Carrick leaning back towards his darker side and when he prays to his good god for guidance, he is given the extreme cold shoulder and realizes, with shame, that he is not adhering to his promised path in life: to do good to balance out the evil he once did as Carrick the Conqueror (as some of the small folk had named him).

“Do you know no spell which can reverse this memory loss, fix broken memories?” Carrick asked Imoaza. The snake woman looked at him curiously, her slit eyes unblinking and unreadable. “No. Of course not. If I had, I would have cast it on you long ago so we could retrieve your past life as The Surveyor.”

Carrick felt a tug on his arm. He turned to see Jacobs standing next to him. The man held up his hand and showed Carrick that he’d found a single gold piece. Carrick sighed.

“He’s my responsibility, then.”

The players find a ladder past the Hydroloth’s pool and exit into the City of Ghosts.

Situation: The players are lost in the City of Ghosts. With Jacobs, er, indisposed and unable to guide them, they have to wander the fog-filled streets looking for the Path of Fallen Lords (Aldric fails a survival roll badly, points in a random direction and says “this is west,” then leads the party onward). This means rolling on a random encounter chart I’ve worked up for this session, chock full of trolls and odd encounters. If they pass this, they will find Puck in a tavern he has filled with the illusion of merry hustle and bustle. Puck wants to make a contract with them, to “ride with the Hell’s Rebels until they reach their final destination.” The limits of the deal stipulate that no Hell’s Rebel can harm him or allow him to knowingly come to harm during this time. In exchange, he will lend them a weapon capable of destroying the bonds that hold the Demon Train to its master, the Yellow King.

Twist: Once the deal with Puck is made, the party is interrupted by a gunship (think Samus Aran’s ship, from Metroid) landing outside the tavern and the entrance of its pilot, a mercenary who has been searching for Puck. 

The doors to the tavern bang open and thin wisps of fog blow in from the outside, followed by a lithe but strange shape. It is a humanoid, only the bottom half of the creature ends in a large snake’s coils. The beast slithers into the tavern and points one of its arms, which has been replaced with something resembling a small cannon, at the impish Puck crouched on one of the tables.

“Puck! You’ve been evading Mammon for longer than he thought you could. But the gig is up and now it’s time to...” the mercenary, whose voice is feminine with a hard edge to it, trails off as she catches sight of the three companions crowded around Puck’s table. “Mother?” she hisses.

The mercenary turns out out to be none other than Hecate, who lost her life (and her hexblade) after using her hexblade to follow Imoaza into the mayhem the team had caused in the underground Yuan Ti temple. Found almost immediately by the beast the team had released there, she was ripped in half and her soul rejected by the Snake Goddess, landing instead in Hell, where she has become one of Hell’s most tenacious mercenaries. Still, she has never forgotten her hatred for her Mother, Imoaza, and her desire to murder her has only intensified due to the circumstances of her demise.

Combat: Imoaza has no interest in parleying with her wayward daughter. She thinks of her as less than dirt, a daughter who never proved her worth and is far too emotional to be considered a true snake. Imoaza isn’t surprised the goddess rejected her and tells Hecate as much. Flying into a rage, Hecate immediately summons a venom troll and attacks the players using a variety of weapons, most notably an ability to turn invisible using a technological device and her gun arm, which launches blasts of varying power and effect at the players. It’s a tough fight: Imoaza leads with a critical hit against Carrick, who gets in the way of her and Imoaza--Carrick gets a huge knife embedded in his chest as her throws himself in front of Hecate’s attack, after she climbs up then leaps from the tavern’s balcony towards Imoaza. Aldric, meanwhile, gets caught up in fighting the Venom Troll, which turns out to be a rough situation, as fighting the thing at close range exposes Aldric to lots and lots of poisonous blood.

In order to bring down the troll, Aldric calls upon the help of his Green Company again, using his special horn to call them. The Green Company arrive and leap to the task given to them.

Charging through the tavern door suddenly are figures from Aldric’s past. He recognizes Three-Fours, the mercenary whose name refers to the number of fingers he has left on each hand; Bungo, the vivacious female Halfing whose girth is matched only by her strength and loudness in battle; and Susan, the mostly ineffectual cook who nonetheless swings a mighty battleaxe in combat. “Looking good, commander!” Bungo yells as she bounds towards the huge, pus-filled troll. The nasty creature turns to face her as she comes and uses one huge yellowed nail to tear into its own stomache, spilling venomous stomach fluid out in a geyser across the charging berserkers. The three cringe as the liquid hits them but they do not slow their charge, tearing into the creature with Aldric at their side, all of them shouting “FOR THE COMPANY!” as Bungo’s dual blades shred flesh, Three-Fours stabs downward with his cutlass, and Susan misses spectacularly with his great axe. Soon the tavern is sprayed left and right with the poisonous blood and Aldric falls, his skin smoking from where the blood has soaked him.

Carrick and Imoaza try to focus on bringing down Hecate and things look bad for a moment as they struggle to find her, but finally Hecate messes up, knocking over a chair as she moves invisibly through the room, and Imoaza immediately launches several eldritch blasts at her using Drosselgreymer. The back and forth continues for a while before Carrick finally manages to blast Hecate with his anti-matter rifle and then close with her to deal more damage with his blade. Hecate responds by teleporting out of the tavern, back to her ship, and leaving behind several neutron bombs.

Aldric is down, the Green Company is fighting the troll. Carrick runs from the tavern, calling to Imoaza to get out! Imoaza looks to Aldric, her snake like brain reasoning that Aldric’s is going to be needed for the group to survive the dangers of Hell. She feels something light on her shoulder: it is Puck. “I’ll help you!” he says, and enhances her strength.

And so it is that the party dives from the tavern, Aldric’s slung over Imoaza’s shoulder, just as it erupts into a ball of flame behind them. Even then, their challenge isn’t over. Hecate’s ship takes off as they run outside and blasts away into the sky. But the players are left facing a pack of trolls, who are rushing from the fog towards the commotion. Puck waves his hands and the fog ahead of them lifts and a path is shown that leads straight from the city. At the end of the far sprint, they can see The Ark fly in, ready to retrieve them via ladders.

The players heal Aldric and all of them run, Puck on Imoaza’s shoulder, Carrick grabbing Jacobs, who is lingering around numbly. They have to roll a quick chase scene, with the trolls right on their heels! They just make it... Imoaza actually has a troll grab onto her leg as she leaps for one of the ship’s ladder and she almost goes down to its bite as it tries to rip apart her leg. She has to blast it in the face with an Eldritch blast to force it to let go, and then they are all away and finally safe.

Notes:

Wandering through the city, the group comes to a huge town square with over seventeen streets leadign off in jumbled directions from it. Here they encounter an odd mummer’s show being put on by grim jesters with skulls for masks. They are catering to a group of shadowy beings who, when caught out of the corner of an eye, seem to have the shape of people and humanoids. But when stared at directly, it is hard to determine what exactly they are. The group tries to sneak around them, but Aldric’s armor is too loud and they are spotted. Trying to salvage the situation Aldric pretends to be a performer himself and decides to sing a bawdry song from his mercenary days. But he rolls a critical fail on his performance check and the shadows and jesters begin to move in on him to tear him apart and add his soul to their procession. That’s when Carrick leaps into the middle of the crowd and blasts them all with a dose of his Paladin-given holy power, combined with an incredible intimidation score. He frightens the crowd of shadows and the Jesters soon follow their flock, disappearing into the mists.

The weapon that can destroy the bonds is none other than Heartcarver, the third legendary weapon the team recovered from White Plume Mountain (seems like ages ago) and which was lost when Nysyries lost her life in the mountain passes. Puck says he traded a Goblin magical power in exchange for the weapon, which means Nysyries’ body was scavenged by goblins. Aldric recognizes the weapon. There is also a brief conversation about the power of Aldric’s Rod of Storms, but it seems dormant for the moment.

The conversation with Puck is fun: he tries to pull a fast one with the contract the players sign and they catch him out on it and even force him to add an addendum that he will help them restore Jacob’s memory. For his part, he words the conditions very carefully and makes it clear, too, that the Heartcarver axe will be LENT not GIVEN. I love the conversation because there is a time limit (Puck warns them the city is becoming restless due to their presence) and it is a moment that gives a great opportunity for me to play a devil like a sneaky lawyer, definitely a potential ally, but an ally with an angle. The fact that we get to roleplay out creating the contract, even though it is a brief moment, is a fun challenge that relies purely on roleplaying and not dice. A nice moment comes too when Puck doesn’t trust the players know Alyss and Aldric proves they do by showing her miniaturized bike. Just a nice use of a player acquired item!

In the next session, the players may get to suplex a train. Keep reading!